


the terrible things we did for love

by jellyfishsodapop



Category: Crimson Peak (2015)
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 23:44:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5435270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellyfishsodapop/pseuds/jellyfishsodapop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please forgive any timeline/age discrepancies. I've only seen the film once so those details might be a little off.</p></blockquote>





	the terrible things we did for love

The deep bronze silk taffeta gleamed in the candle light as Lucille held up the corset for Thomas' edification. Loose silk ribbons dangled from the back and trembled with each tug to undo the busk. Since letting go of the help after father had successfully drank and gambled away a considerable amount of the family fortune, Lucille held nothing short of contempt for having to now do things such as getting dressed by herself, a chore made nearly impossible by the engineering of the current fashion for a lady of her standing. Squirrelled away in her own rooms after having done her own bit of chipping away at the alcohol cabinet, mother was even less of a help, especially when she would be given to another extended bout of violent hysteria that led to merciless beatings, or worse, a melancholy that would last for days on end and render her catatonic, having to be urged to eat thin soup and drink her tea so that she wouldn't waste away.

Then there was Thomas. Poor, sweet, naieve Thomas whom there was talk about sending him away to a proper military academy or exclusive boarding school with the last bits of savings so that he might resurrect the Sharpe family name. As if Lucille wasn't even part of that equation, as if she had no ability of her own to do the very same. She knew she was of a keener mind than Thomas, who counted on the best in people instead of engineering a series of events with the most beneficial possible outcome. 

Which was why Thomas was sitting on the edge of Lucille's bed with a curious, slightly perplexed look on his face, hands folded between his knees as Lucille stood before him in her chemise and bloomers and stockings, corset held out to him. "You might as well be of some use, if not to me then to your future wife. If you can't afford a maidservant, you'll have to learn how to do this yourself." Even at seventeen, she knew unless she took matters into her own hands, her life would be bleak and spent in encroaching poverty. Maybe she was being harsh, but Lucille, if anything, was being pragmatic. Seeing a situation for what it was in order to manipulate it to her best interests was always her favourite attribute about herself. And right now teaching Thomas things he had no knowledge of at just turning fifteen himself was in Lucille's best interests. After all, she had a plan.

"Come on, then." Lucille shook Thomas from his immobility by swatting his shoulder playfully with the corset and he stood, taking it with a huff. She turned around and lifted her arms to face the full length oval mirror, gathering her hair up in one hand. "You'll want to loosen the ribbons a bit and then clasp it together at the front. Rather self explanatory. No, no, you've got it upside down...there, that's it." With wide, beseeching eyes the same colour as her own, Thomas moved around to Lucille's front, his thin arms going behind her waist to take both ends of the corset and bring them around, his hands shaking almost imperceptibly. "You've got it, you're doing well." Lucille cooed her encouragement as she met Thomas' hesitant gaze, his awkward fumbling with the busk making her smirk instead of testing her patience. At fifteen, he was already a hand taller than she was but he still held the soft curves of baby fat and it made him look terribly vulnerable when he was out of his depth. As he was now.

"It is tricky until you get used to it, so we'll be doing this every day from now on until you're adept, hmm? My sweet baby brother, so eager to learn new things and I have so much to teach you. I know you'll do well." With her free hand, Lucille caressed Thomas' cheek, long, pale fingers contrasting with the rosy blush that bloomed across his complexion at the compliment.

"Am I done? Did I do it right?" Thomas' voice was barely above a whisper, self conscious as he was about it breaking recently every time he tried to talk. She could see that he wanted approval but that he also wanted to do his best to earn it.

"Oh, darling. That's just the beginning. Go around back again and tighten up the laces. Start at the top down and then the bottom up until you meet in the middle where the ribbons tie off." She watched him dart around behind her, the way his brow crinkled and how he caught his tongue between his teeth in the mirror's reflection. Then came the gentle tugs, the silk becoming taut and creaking softly with each pull of the ribbons. "Tighter, don't be afraid to...ah! Wait, wait..." Thomas jerked back as if he had been slapped, his expression chastised. "Reach around and give me your hands."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I was trying to be careful." Keeping his distance, Thomas made no move closer. Which was amusing to Lucille given how easy they were around each other. They had always been close, seeking comfort and solace in one another on nights that ended in wiping away tears and dressing wounds. In happier times, they would lie in each others' arms unself-consciously, hugs and chaste kisses peppering faces and hands under the shade of the big oak in the park as their parents sipped tea with the other adults. 

"Shh, I didn't mean to sound so cross, but you must learn about some things. Come now." Letting her hair fall, Lucille held out her arms, fingers reaching for Thomas' to entwine them as he stepped closer. "You see the top of the corset where it curves out?" Thomas nodded and swallowed thickly. "What you need to do is to make sure you it conforms to my body, which means..." Drawing Thomas' hands up, Lucille guided them to the top of the corset before slipping them inside. It was still loose enough that both their hands could fit as Lucille leaned back slightly, guiding Thomas' hands to cup her breasts. She could hear the catch in his breath, the sudden exhale against the skin of her shoulder, and when she met her brother's gaze in the mirror, he was looking back at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes dark and his lips parted slightly. "You have to make certain that these fit into their proper place in order to achieve the desired silhouette." Thomas' hands were all but leaden, his body petrified behind her. Tilting her head slightly, Lucille let her plan take shape, her hands closing minutely and shifting higher, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she kept eye contact with Thomas in the mirror. "They are rather delicate and should be given care, lift gently before returning to the task at hand." Another squeeze and she let a small, delicate sound escape her lips, the tremble of Thomas' hand less involuntary and with curious purpose. 

Through the fine linen of her chemise, Lucille could feel Thomas' hands move of their own accord and she released her hold, noting that he did not pull away as well. Instead he moved close enough that she could feel the heat of his body against her back and the erratic stacatto breaths against her neck and shoulder. Tilting her head to one side drew Thomas like a magnet, his own head tipping down to meet the expanse of skin, lips and nose brushing against her as his hands grew more bold. Fingertips brushed over sensitive skin and awakened a desire that had Lucille's legs wobbling momentarily. As Thomas' fingers became more bold, he explored, urged on by little sounds and the hand that slid up into his hair, Lucille watching them in the mirror with hooded eyes. 

"You're learning more than I was planning on teaching you tonight, my sweet brother. Perhaps you're a quick study after all, and there's so much to learn." When taut skin was rolled and pinched, Lucille couldn't help the moan that escaped, her head falling back to Thomas' shoulder as she felt the damp, hot breaths on her shoulder, the barest brush of teeth, the soft press of a tongue, tasting her skin. "As long as we're together, we'll be unstoppable. You'll never leave me, will you Thomas?"

Eyes the colour of her own lifted, a look far beyond his years meeting Lucille's, Thomas' voice a hint of the depth it would achieve over time. "Nothing will come between us. I promise."

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any timeline/age discrepancies. I've only seen the film once so those details might be a little off.


End file.
